3rd Test: South Africa v Australia at Cape Town Mar 1-5, 2014

[Twizzle]

I read that and lolled

It might be the Seth Efrican way but I'm sure its not the way Clarkie was thinking

 

[undertaker]

In the last two series - South Africa 2011/12 and Australia 2012/13, Australia were their own worst enemy.

South Africa:
1st Test - First innings lead of 188 (we got 284 and they got 96) and we squandered it with a piss poor 47 and they got 2/236.
We won the 2nd Test with Cummins.

Australia:
1st Test - rain ruined what could have been.
2nd Test - Pattinson goes down and we bowl a whole day one short - the attack being Siddle, Hilfy and Lyon. Saffas survive 8 down and 181 runs behind.
3rd Test - the nadir of Australian cricket (and India shortly after) - team is chopped and changed, rotation policy ruins cricket and Saffas pounded a demoralised and headless Australia.

Best thing to ever happen?

Boof Lehmann.
Followed by -
End of 'rotation policy'
Return of Mitchell, Harris up there.
Warner firing.

Team looks fit, hungry and no more excuses. You're fit, you're in form and you're playing. (Doesn't quite excuse Marsh BUT this hunch caper seems to be working a bit - Marsh gets ton). They're ruthless, they're tough and they won't take it on the chin.

The 2nd test loss? I'm putting that down to one of those losses you 'have to have'. Grounded them. Big heads and maybe reading their own press? Boof knocked that shit out. Plus they won big, lost big and then ground out a fking tough win. Saffas never roll over. Other teams will. If that was England or anyone else, we would have had they won by lunch.

My two cents worth.

You forgot to mention the return of Craig McDermott as fast bowling assistant. Huge difference and one of the best decisions Boof ever made. As he got us to work wonders against India 2 summers ago, he's got Johnson bowling a lot more tighter in line. Opposition sides aren't getting those obligatory regular loose deliveries that Johnson used to bowl an would undo the pressure the bowler from the other end was creating.

OT, if Harris never plays another test, he can be extremely proud of achieving what he has in his career riddled with his knee injury. He really stood up to the plate when needed. Reminds me a lot of Samson, hehe

 

[herbert henry1908]

Have to have a huge laugh at a cricinfo article Darryl Cullinan wrote 2 or so days ago about both captains being happy with a draw. With a mentality like that, no wonder why you were such a loser when you played for South Africa.

That's everyone's mentality that plays for south Africa.


Its why they'll never be able to beat us consistently.

 

[undertaker]

Almost Everything he's had to say lately is laughable. You read what he had to say and it's no wonder Shane Warne played him like a fiddle every single time b

Warne vs Cullinan is one of the things I miss about cricket from the 1990s. Cullinan out to Warne 8 times in ODIs and 4 times in tests, not to mention his abysmal average of 12.75 vs Australia:lol:

 

[Rod]

Totally agree. If you've been the best in last five years, congratulations. But being the best in the last 5 years dpesn't automatically make you still the best. SA don't deserve to be number one. Australia have spanked England 5-0 and then spanked SA in two tests in their own backyard. Keeping SA as number one just because they used to be better makes them false number ones.

This is the same ranking system that meant you blokes didnt plummet dramatically down the rankings just because you got towelled up by India and England in consecutive series. You can't have it both ways, if the system is more sensitive to recent results you guys wouldn't have even been close to challenging the number one spot in this series.

I view it as two separate things. There's a form team and a best team. Australia is the form team in the world. SA is still the best team in the world.

 

[saint.nick]

This is the same ranking system that meant you blokes didnt plummet dramatically down the rankings just because you got towelled up by India and England in consecutive series. You can't have it both ways, if the system is more sensitive to recent results you guys wouldn't have even been close to challenging the number one spot in this series.

I view it as two separate things. There's a form team and a best team. Australia is the form team in the world. SA is still the best team in the world.

No, I think Australia have proven themselves more than as the form team in the world. Even if you're in great form, you don't just whip SA like that two times on their own turf. What the system says, and what common sense or logic says are sometimes two different things. Unfortunately the system doesn't have enough room to be that flexible.

 

[Twizzle]

why the hell should a rankings system be flexible ?

stability makes so much more sense, its should take a few seasons to slowly rise up the rankings

 

[Rod]

Yep, common sense (and maths) will tell you a more stable system mostly removes the freak or fluke results and other outliers and rewards consistent performance.

Otherwise NZ is top of the ODI rankings right now .

 

[Twizzle]

well I wouldn't go that far

 

[JJ]

The current system is pretty good, you can't make huge adjustments on a small sample - Aust is ranked 2 in tests, and 1 (I think?) in ODIs - and I reckon that's spot on. Stan Wawrinka won the Aust open, but that doesn't make him world #1. As early, the Jaapies haven't lost a test series away for 8 seasons, and just lost at home for the first time in 5...

Nobody can compete with that overseas record at the moment - but if we are allowed to be selective, NZ just beat India at home, did as well as you in England, and drew our last away series in Aust so can we be =1? We just bitch slapped the World Cup holders too, can we have that, or be ranked #2 in ODIs?

Anyway, great series, Australia have certainly improved, and I think only RSA could compete with you in Aust, but away I reckon everyone is a chance to compete with you - but that series was a big statement and you do cause the Jaapies problems for whatever reason

 

[JJ]

actually, saint nick - not sure you would have been arguing for the same flexibility after losing in India and England in succession, or drawing with NZ at home - you've been excellent for 8 tests, the Jaapies have been excellent for 8 years...

Clearly you're playing very well, and Lehmann (McDermott too, I imagine) have been excellent for Aust, and Johnson has transformed (for 8 tests anyway) into what Lillee said he was all those years ago, and Warner looks a bit like a Greenidge/Sehweg cloning experiment - just be happy!

 

[TheParraboy]

South Africa deserve to still ne no1 ranked test side. To say otherwise is getting caught up in the hype of our short dominance

I think we play Pakistan in 2-3 tests later in the year, then India on home soil for 4 tests. Im more concerned finding a gun no3 bat, and also a Haddin replacement which will happen over the next 12-18 months I would imagine

 

[jargan83]

Might be 12 months as I had read that Haddin was going to pull up stumps after the World Cup.

Last I saw the Pakistan tour (in UAE) is a 3 Test tour but someone on the forum mentioned it had been shortened to a 2 Test tour with a T20 thrown in?

Also I'd say South Africa are still the worlds number 1 Test side as they have had a phenomenal run over the past few years. Only 12 months ago we got bitch slapped in India 4-0 and 3-0 in England (and we were fairly awful in the first two Tests of that tour).

 

[Hutty1986]

This Pakistan series will be another massive challenge. Ajmal is world class and we will need to fix our still glaring deficiencies against quality spin. Davey Warners rise to being a truly excellent test batsman can continue if he has a good series over there.

 

[Twizzle]

no more cricket (forget the T/20s)

wtf do we do now ?

 

[TheParraboy]

This Pakistan series will be another massive challenge. Ajmal is world class and we will need to fix our still glaring deficiencies against quality spin. Davey Warners rise to being a truly excellent test batsman can continue if he has a good series over there.

You'd assume Smith and Clarke to do very well, two of the better players of spin

If Warner can get going against Pakistan and also India (over on their home turf as well) he could be on the way to greatness. Still a few mountains to climb though, one main one is consistency over time

 

[TheParraboy]

no more cricket (forget the T/20s)

wtf do we do now ?

Parra *clap* *clap* *clap*

 

[herbert henry1908]

This Pakistan series will be another massive challenge. Ajmal is world class and we will need to fix our still glaring deficiencies against quality spin. Davey Warners rise to being a truly excellent test batsman can continue if he has a good series over there.

One thing to our advantage though is that the decks in the UAE don't seem to be particularly favourable towards spin.

 

[herbert henry1908]

no more cricket (forget the T/20s)

wtf do we do now ?

Starting with that Pakistan series its almost non stop for 9 months. So that will make up for it.


13 tests & a world cup in that period. Plus all the other one dayers & t20's

 

[saint.nick]

why the hell should a rankings system be flexible ?

stability makes so much more sense, its should take a few seasons to slowly rise up the rankings

I'm not saying it should, hence why it said it has no room. It's probably the best they could do. The main point I'm trying to put out there is that it's a shame Australia aren't number one, because in my opinion they deserve to be. RSA's time is coming to and end, whereas we are now rapid ascendency. I wouldn't have complained if were were down hear the bottom after losing to India, England and etc.